


How to Save a Child

by obfonteri (aspiringenjolras)



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Child Peter, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Whump, Yondu Whump, kragdu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-08 15:16:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11084289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aspiringenjolras/pseuds/obfonteri
Summary: “Cap’n, if we don’t deliver the boy to Ego soon, he’s gonna come and take ‘im himself.” The first time Kraglin says it, it's a joke. Then he's concerned. And then he's deadly serious.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't remember how I got the idea for this story. But here it is. My first stab at writing the Ravagers, and for this fandom in general. Hope you enjoy!

The first time Kraglin said it, he meant it as a joke. “Cap’n, if we don’t deliver the boy to Ego soon, he’s gonna come and take ‘im himself.” Peter was 10 and had been with the Ravagers for a few months. That was long enough that Ego would start getting suspicious, but Kraglin figured if he hadn’t come by now, he wouldn’t come at all.  _ Either he’s dumb enough to think we’s still on our way, or he just don’t care.  _ He laughed, and did a poor impression of the Celestial attacking their ship. 

Yondu, however, hadn’t laughed. He’d grunted a muffled “he can try,” and went about his business as normal. The topic didn’t come up again.

*******

The next time Kraglin said it, it was out of concern. “Hey Cap’n… you don’ s’pose Ego’s waitin’ on us still, do you? I mean… what’s he wantin them children for anyways? Think he’s gonna be mad?” 

“Don’t know,” Yondu said. “Don’t care.”  

“But we ain’t givin’ him over, are we?”

“No we ain’t.”

*******

It wasn’t that Kraglin cared about Quill. No siree. If anything, the Terran was annoying as hell, and distracted the Captain, taking away attention Kraglin wanted for himself. But he never complained, because it was obvious Yondu cared about the little bugger. For some reason. 

*******

“Cap’n, why do you keep Quill around?” 

“He’s small. Fits into places we can’t go. Good fer thievin’.” Yondu parroted back the same story he always told Peter. Easy, simple, no fuss.

“All due respect, sir, but I think the only one who believes that is the boy.” Yondu stopped, turned and looked at Kraglin, brow furrowed. Kraglin winced, he knew that look. “I’m jus’ sayin’ that I…. I know yer attached to the boy, but you weren’t attached when you decided to  _ not  _ take him straight to Ego.”

Yondu sighed, ran a hand over his stubble. “Kraglin, you know I’d never lie to the crew.”

“Of course, Cap’n, I know that!”

“Quill  _ is _ good at stealin’ stuff. He’s a good Ravager, good as any of us. I liked training him. I liked scaring him. I made him who he is.”

“He ain’t even a man, Cap’n. He’s eleven.”

“I know how old he is! And I know he’s gonna be great. Kid’s half god! ‘Course I want him on our side and no one else’s.”

“But...?”

The two stared blankly at each other for a moment, Yondu defiantly, Kraglin unamused. Finally, Yondu caved. 

“....But if we took him to Ego, he’s not gonna be off playin’ ball and stuff with his daddy and a hundred other kids.”

“How d’ya know that?” 

“Cuz I got a tip off about what’s happenin’ on that planet and it ain’t father-son bonding.”

“Sir?” 

“It don’t matter, Kraglin, it ain’t none of yer business anyhow.”

“Yes sir.”

***

“Cap’n?”

“Mmm.” Yondu squeezed his eyes tighter, as if trying to block out his first mate’s words and fall back asleep.

“Cap’n!”

“Wha…?”

“There’s a transmission coming through.”

“Fuckin’... you take it, Kraglin. I’m tryin’ ta sleep here!” Yondu waved his hand, smacking Kraglin in the face in the process, and rolled back over.

“And I’m not?”

“Kraglin!” 

“I’m goin, I’m goin…” 

“Take it out in hall! I don’ wanna hear it.”

“Jeez…” Kraglin basically stumbled out of the room to take the call. 

_ Who’s callin’ us in the middle of the freakin night…?  _ The image on the screen came up, and the Xandarian nearly jumped out of his skin.

“What… what can I help you with?”

“I have a message for Yondu Udonta…” 

***

“Cap’n.” Nothing. “ _ Captain. _ YONDU!” 

“Kraglin, hell, what is  _ wrong  _ with you?”

“Sir, that was Ego.”

_ Oh.  _ Yondu was awake now.

“What’d he say? What’s he want? Is he still on the line? I’m gonna k—”

“No, no, no. He told me to tell you.” This time, Kraglin was telling the honest truth. He swallowed. “He said he’s comin’ to take Quill. Whether we want him to or not.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love for chapter one! You encouraged me to get this chapter up fast!

If anyone were to ask Kraglin when the Ravager Captain was the most attractive, he would say when he’s giving orders. Usually that meant in the bedroom, but there were times in battle and even in the daily operations of the ship that the first mate had to sometimes just sit back and look at Yondu and subsequently be i _ ncredibly  _ turned on. 

Not today, though. As soon as Yondu had stopped yelling, he’d stormed out of the cabin he and Kraglin shared on most nights and to the bridge, Kraglin on his heels. He’d flung himself into his chair and loudly began informing the rest of the crew what was happening. Within minutes, everyone was awake and gathered around the two of them, bleary-eyed, confused, and battle ready. They had barely any idea what was going on, but they were attentive, as always. Hanging on Yondu’s every word. Kraglin normally would’ve loved that, but tonight he was too on edge. 

“We are preparing for  _ battle _ , people.” Yondu stood in the center of his crewmen, arrow gripped in his hand like was expecting Ego to show up at any moment. As if an arrow could stop a Celestial. “This guy is comin’ for Quill, an’ we gotta be  _ ready. _ ” Expectedly, there were grumbled protests. Not everyone was thrilled about risking their lives to protect the child. But no one dared contradict Yondu out loud. Death by arrow seemed a lot worse in this case.

“Speakin’ of…” Yondu looked around, red eyes gleaming. “Where’s the Terran?” More mumbles as the other Ravagers shrugged and exchanged looks. “Kraglin! Get Quill. Hide ‘im somewhere.” 

Kraglin nodded and jogged off down the hall to the kid’s cabin. Until he was older, Yondu wanted him in a room by himself so the other Ravagers wouldn’t try anything. That meant that the Terran was still sleeping more or less peacefully when Kraglin knocked loudly on his door before entering without an invitation. He sat up groggily at the loud noise, rubbing his eyes and looking positively  _ adorable.  _ It made Kraglin sick.

“Get up Quill,” Kraglin barked, banging on the side of the kid’s bunk. 

“Wha… wha’s goin’ on?” He mumbled.

“We’re under attack,” Kraglin said simply. “Cap’n wants me to get you hidden somewhere.”

“But why?” Quill peered at him, face scrunched in sleepy confusion. “I wanna help.”

“Oh no.” Kraglin shook his head and made a face before lifting the kid out of his bunk and setting him down on the floor. “I don’ know how much Yondu’s been teachin’ ya about fightin’ and I don’t care. He don’t want you out there, he wants you safe.”

If the kid thought he was cute when he pouted, he was wrong. Even if he was cute, it wouldn’t win Kraglin over. “Please Kraglin?”

“No! I ain’t disobeyin’ the Captain just because you wanna be a big brave man. And you ain’t, either. Now come on, I gotta place for ya to hide until this is over.” Kraglin took Quill by the shoulders and steered him out of his cabin and down the hall, the Terran complaining the whole time. “Alright, here.” Kraglin stopped in front of the dock of M-ships. “Get down somewhere and stay out of the way.” He shoved the kid inside. “Someone will come and get ya. No cryin’.” Then Kraglin shut the door and headed back to the bridge.  _ Maybe I’ll just forget where I hid him. Kid’s more trouble than he’s worth. _

“Quill safe?” Yondu asked the moment Kraglin was back. 

“Aye, Cap’n. Hid ‘im in the dock.”

“Good.” Yondu looked out at the sky ahead and Kraglin followed his gaze. “Ego’s on his way.” He turned to the assembled crew with a grin. “We’re ready!” A chorus of loud affirmations followed. “We’re gonna show him that  _ nobody  _ messes with the Ravagers! He wants to get to Quill, he’s gonna have to go through  _ us _ .”

“Alright people, let’s go, let’s get moving, to your battle stations, come on.” Kraglin attempted to disperse the crowd. Once they were gone, he turned to Yondu, who had resumed staring out the window. “Cap’n?” Yondu didn’t reply, his unblinking gaze remaining locked on whatever was out there. “Yondu.” A hand, tentatively placed on the Centaurian’s arm. Still, the Captain didn’t respond. Kraglin decided to just keep talking. “Are ya… are ya sure we can fight this guy? He’s a  _ planet _ .”

“I should’ve told Quill about Ego already. I knew this would happen. You said it yourself.”

Kraglin frowned. “I was jus’ jokin’ then, Cap’n. Why would tellin’ Quill help anything? So he could choose if he wanted to go or stay?”

“No.” Yondu finally tore his gaze away from the stars. “So he would know what he needed to defend himself against, when this time came.” The questioning look on Kraglin’s face was enough to warrant further explanation, it seemed. “I don’t know why, but Ego’s killing those children. Each and every one that we’ve delivered to his planet, he’s killed. His own offspring. If he takes Peter, I don’t know what will happen to him. But he ain’t makin’ it out of there alive if he don’t know what he’s up against.”

Kraglin’s expression was one of pure horror, but he composed himself long enough to try and offer some words of comfort, or something. “You could always go tell him now. He’d probably love an explanation. He really wanted to come out here and fight ‘imself. You trained him well, Cap’n.” 

“Did ya tell him anything about what’s goin’ on?”

“Not a word. Just said someone would fetch him once we send Ego back screaming.” For once, Kraglin’s voice didn’t match the optimism in his words. Clearly, Yondu wasn’t convinced either.

“Mmm,” was all the Captain said, looking out the window once again.

*******

It was another hour or so before the Ravagers heard anything else from Ego. Kraglin’s nerves had been running high ever since he’d answered that call, and he just wanted to  _ do  _ something. He was tired of sitting on his hands. There was no use delaying the inevitable. A fight was coming. A fight they probably wouldn’t win. Hell. He hoped everyone else knew what they were getting into. 

Finally, another transmission came through. Every single Ravager within earshot jumped to their feet, weapons ready. Yondu being the exception. He sat in his chair, calm as could be, staring coolly at the screen as Kraglin put Ego through. 

“Yondu…” Ego’s smile was grossly amicable. “Long time no see! I’ve missed you over here,” he said cheerfully. “Sure does get lonely without a familiar face. Or a _child running around...”_  

Yondu spit and flashed his sharpened teeth. “Oh don’t blame me for not having company, old man. I’ve brought you hundreds of children. It ain’t my fault you’ve killed them all!”

The look of shock on Ego’s face lasted only a moment before it melted back into that jovial grin that made Kraglin want to bash his face in with a rock. “You heard about that. Yondu, I wasn’t expecting you to care about such things. You aren’t exactly a fatherly type.” Now Yondu was angry, Kraglin noted as the Captain got to his feet and walked steadily towards the screen. 

“You listen here, Ego,” Yondu snarled. “You ain’t takin’ Quill. And I ain’t collectin’ any more children for you! I refuse to be responsible for any more deaths!” 

Ego tsked at Yondu, shaking his head in a condescending way. “You’ve gone soft for the boy. I can respect that. I’m sure he’s a great kid. Probably just like his Mama.” He smiled wistfully. It was almost convincing enough for Kraglin to believe he cared. Luckily, even a Ravager knew that a father who killed his offspring wasn’t really a father at all. “But Yondu, be honest. Peter’s a child. A Ravager ship is hardly the place for a boy to grow up. And you’re hardly a good father figure, no offense. It can’t be healthy for a kid to live in fear of being eaten." 

“No worse than being afraid of his own father  _ murdering  _ him!”

“I’m sorry, Yondu. I know how hard this must be. There’s so much you don’t understand. But we both want what’s best for the boy. This is his destiny. Not with you.” Ego sighed. “I’m going to give you a chance to say your goodbyes, and deliver him to my ship.” As he spoke, he appeared through the jumphole, hovering in front of them. “Otherwise, I will just take him, as forcefully as you make me. What is your decision?” 

Kraglin looked at Yondu, trying to read what he was thinking. Refusing Ego meant battle, and battle with a Celestial meant certain death. For all of them. He could sense the fear and anger from the other Ravagers, both at Ego, and at Yondu. No matter what happened, it wouldn’t end well. “Cap’n…”

“No.” Yondu’s voice was loud, firm, commanding. He whistled his arrow into the air and held it by his shoulder. “Come and get us, old man. You aren’t taking Quill.”

“What a shame,” Ego said. “Very well. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.” The transmission ended and his image disappeared. Yondu turned to his crew, expression grim. 

“Activate the shields and self-defense mechanisms. At the first time of a breach or penetration, fire all weapons.” Yondu turned and walked off the bridge, leaving Kraglin standing alone in front of the crew. 

Watching Yondu’s retreating back, Kraglin swallowed nervously. “You heard the Captain. Go on, then.” No one moved. Kraglin knew this would happen. “Hey! Are you listenin’? The Captain gave an order, you useless lumps. And you gotta follow it. I know you all are scared. But Quill’s a Ravager, just like any of us. Just, ya know. Smaller. And we owe it to him to protect him. We go down together, or not at all. Now I ain’t got a flyin’ arrow, but I swear I’ll kill anyone who don’t stand with me and the Captain. You all owe it to him. Whaddya say?”

“I’m with ya,” Tullk was the first to speak up. Kraglin nodded at him and looked around expectantly at the others. Slowly, they all started nodding and raising their hands, until the entire crew was standing at attention. 

“Well alright then. Get to yer stations. Let’s go fight a fuckin’ planet!” A chorus of cheers echoed around Kraglin as he pushed through the crowd to find Yondu. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! That was fun. Next chapter will get down to the juicy stuff and bring on that good ol' Yondu whump we all so desperately want. I hope I'm succeeding at keeping everyone in character. Writing these dialects is hard, but a whole lot of fun. I love playing with their voices. If you enjoyed, leave me a kudos or a comment, and let me know your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... this chapter is literally almost as long as the last two chapters combined. And it's thanks to you guys! Your reviews make me smile so much. Every time I see another in my email I get so excited. Anyway. Prepare for pain in this one!

Kraglin found Yondu standing in front of a weapons closet. He was staring blankly at the array of guns, knives, crowbars, everything the clan had picked up in their years of travel. It was a pretty impressive spread. Kraglin had been responsible for stealing probably half of what was in there.

None of it was going to help now, Kraglin realized grimly. From the look on his face, Yondu knew this too. 

“I do have a plan,” Yondu said after a minute, as if he’d read his first mate’s thoughts. “It could work. It has to.”

“I know, Cap’n,” Kraglin said, voice cracking slightly. “I trust ya.”

“O’ course ya do.” Yondu’s voice was a strange mix of exhausted and… grateful? “The rest o’ them not so much.”

“I think you’d be surprised, actually.”

“Oh?”

They held each other’s gaze for a moment. A number of unspoken things hung in the air between them. Or at least, there were things Kraglin wasn’t saying. He wasn’t sure about Yondu. Now wasn’t really the time for it, though. Okay. He took a deep breath. 

“The plan?”

*******

The whole ship was shaking with blasts from Ego by the time Yondu had reassembled the crew. “Our shields are holding up against his initial attacks, but not for much longer. Here’s what we’s gonna do. There’s a ninety o’ us, and only one o’ him. We may not be able to out-fight him, but we can confuse the hell out of him. We take the M-ships, spread out, fire at him. He won’t know where Quill is, he won’t know where to attack. Me n’ a few others will stay here to defend the ship. Kraglin’ll lead the fleet out. Then we hit ‘im with everything we got.”

So maybe it wasn’t a solid plan. But it was the best they had. Kraglin drew in a shaky breath and began to read off the names of the Ravagers who would be going with him. They departed for the dock, and Kraglin watched Yondu out of the corner of his eye. “Alright. The rest of you, spread out, arm yourselves, prepare for whatever we get hit with next.”

When it was just the two of them again, Kraglin opened his mouth to say  _ something _ , but Yondu gave him a shove, cutting him off. “Go!”

Kraglin did go. He sprinted after the others, down the corridors, and flung himself into a ship and flew out with the rest of the fleet. The sky was darker than usual, stormy— that was Ego’s doing, Kraglin figured. And now he could clearly see Ego’s ship too. It _looked_ harmless, but from the way the Ravagers’ ship was shaking, he could tell it was far from it. He switched on his comm and called out to the others. “Let’s get ‘im, boys!” The Ravagers, who were clearly enjoying this a lot more now that they could fly, dive bombed Ego’s ship and fired with everything they had. 

For the first few minutes, Kraglin actually thought Yondu’s crazy plan was going to work. Ego kept spinning the ship around, like he wasn’t sure where to direct his attacks and attention.  _ Where does he get all his power from? Is it from the planet? If so, he might not be able to stand up to our blasts forever. He’s so far away from home.  _ The thought made Kraglin grin, and he flew straight at Ego’s ship, howling like a banshee and firing with everything he had. There were whoops and hollers over the comm from the overs as they followed suit. 

And so the games continued. Ego was firing everywhere he could, but he couldn’t hit every ship at once. The shields seemed to be holding on the main ship. Kraglin had to wonder if Ego was holding back or weakening, but for now, he didn’t care. At this moment, they were  _ winning _ . 

Then his comm crackled. Loud static. Kraglin frowned. “Quit screwin’ with the frequencies!” There was no reply. And then—   
  
__ I'm hooked on a feeling  
_ I'm high on believing _ _  
_ __ That you're in love with me

_ “What?!” _

“Who the hell?” That was Yondu’s voice now. “That’s Quill’s music! Who got a hold o’ that?”

The Terran music blasted over the comms blasts were exchanged from both sides. It was catchy, Kraglin thought. Good to fight to. And currently was making him very,  _ very _ nervous. 

Then he saw it.

Another M-ship flew out of the hangar. It dove and swerved as if its pilot didn’t quite know what he was doing. And just like that, everything seemed to come to a stop. Everyone watched in silent horror as the little ship and the Terran inside it barreled toward Ego at full force. And then everyone moved at once.

_ “Quill!”  _ That was Kraglin and Yondu in unison. Kraglin dove to intercept him before he could crash.

“The fuck ya think yer doin, boy?!” Yondu sounded  _ furious.  _ Kraglin didn’t blame him. They were trying to protect him, and this is the thanks they get. 

“Helping!” Came Quill’s high-pitched, enthusiastic voice over the comm. Kraglin wanted to scream. How this was helping, he didn’t know.

“Get back inside the ship,” he said in a low voice, firing another blast at Ego. “He’s here for you.”

“For me? Why—?”

A large blast from Ego sent Kraglin’s ship and the rest of the fleet spiraling backwards a few hundred feet. It was hard and fast enough to knock him off his feet, and when he regained his balance and looked out the window, his face dropped in horror. Quill’s ship was surrounded in a bright white light. It was blinding to look at. Almost as if the light was a net, Ego pulled him into his ship. 

“No! Dammit, no!” That was Yondu. “EGO!” 

As if in response, Ego’s voice echoed through every Ravager ship. “This was easier than I thought it would be. Thank you for handing the boy over— although I suppose I should thank  _ him _ . Seems he wanted to be with his father after all.” Ego laughed, cold and heartily. Kraglin wanted to throw up. 

“Cap’n…?” asked tentatively. “Wha’ d’ya want to do?” Yondu didn’t answer. In fact, he’d gone completely silent on his end of the comm. Panic started to rise in Kraglin’s chest. “Cap’n?”

Suddenly, every single weapon was being fired from the ship. The blast was  _ huge.  _ It would’ve been enough to probably blow up a smaller ship, or at least cause some serious damage. But it basically bounced off Ego’s ship now. Kraglin could only stare. 

“You see Yondu,” said Ego. Kraglin realized his voice wasn’t coming through the comm. He hadn’t hacked the frequency. His voice was just  _ there.  _ A chill went down Kraglin’s spine. “The boy shares my Celestial genes. When we are together, the power of my planet,  _ our  _ planet, is stronger. You cannot touch us. I am impervious. I am  _ unstoppable!”  _

“I ain’t gonna let you hurt ‘im!”

Ego chuckled. “He’s useful to me, unlike the others. I won’t hurt him. No, really. I  _ promise _ .” Kraglin scoffed. “Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for you and your crew. No one crosses me, or comes between me and my family, and lives to tell the tale. Goodbye, Yondu Udonta. I doubt we’ll meet again.”

A huge blast of hot white light hit the ship, and Kraglin couldn’t see a thing. When his eyes adjusted, Ego was gone, and he could see the damage the explosion had done. Somehow, the structure remained, although pieces were fracturing off every which way, and the ship was burning. Kraglin couldn’t think. Quill was missing. The ship was destroyed. And Yondu was  _ in there.  _

“Hell.” Kraglin turned around and started flying toward the ship as fast as he could. The others followed. The hangar was barely intact enough to land, but he managed to get onto the ship and started running through the corridors toward the bridge. Everything was still smoking, and the comms were down. He  _ had  _ to find Yondu. Kraglin was hardly aware of anyone else around him, there were bodies lying on the ground, people were calling his name, but he just pushed through the crowd, trying desperately to get to the Captain. And he found him, half-draped over his chair, barely conscious. The few others on the bridge were out cold. This wasn’t good. Not at all.

“Cap’n. Cap’n! Yondu, Yondu wake up.” Kraglin crouched beside him, put a firm hand on Yondu’s shoulder and he shook him first, and then gingerly touched his cheek, took his pulse best he could, and held his chin, trying to look into his eyes which were clearly struggling to stay open.

“Krag...lin…” Yondu’s voice was weak and scratchy. It was all Kraglin could do to not take his Captain’s face in his hands and kiss him and tell him how  _ worried  _ he was. But a crowd was gathering now, and Yondu wouldn’t appreciate that very much. “Where’s Quill? Did Ego…” Kraglin bowed his head, not wanting to be the one to deliver the bad news, but knowing Yondu wouldn’t want to hear it from anyone else.

“M’sorry Cap’n. I’m so sorry. There weren’t nothing we could do. He was too strong.” Wiping his forehead with his sleeve, Kraglin stood and turned to whatever Ravagers were on their feet. “You there! Quit standin’ around! Go make up the bunk in the Captain’s quarters so he can be comfortable. Someone go get medical supplies, meet us there. Can’t ya see he’s bleedin’?” And so he was. A steady trail of blood trickled from Yondu’s fin, another from his nose. Kraglin hated how weak Yondu looked right now. 

“M… my arrow…” Kraglin followed Yondu’s gaze to the transmission screen where the arrow was lodged around splintered glass. 

“I’ll get it,” he said, walking over to retrieve it. “What were ya thinkin’ sir? Ya can’t kill a guy from a video image.” He tried to laugh, although it was half-hearted and forced. Yondu didn’t crack a smile. With a sigh, Kraglin handed the arrow to the Centaurian, who shifted to replace it in its holster with a groan. Then he pushed himself, slowly, to his feet, where he stood unsteadily, holding onto the back of his now-broken chair and and Kraglin’s shoulder for support.

“C’mon Captain.” No longer caring who else was watching, Kraglin slipped an arm around Yondu’s waist. “Let’s get ya to yer cabin, huh?” A younger crewmen rounded the corner, stopped in his tracks at the sight of the Captain in such a vulnerable state. Kraglin caught him staring and threw a mug at him. It shattered on the wall above his head. “Quit starin’ and start cleani’ up this mess.” 

At that, Yondu let out a hearty, if quiet, laugh. “You tell ‘im, Krags.” Kraglin tried to smile, but Yondu’s eyes drooped shut again. Kraglin groaned and nudged him in the side firmly.

“Not yet. No sleepin’ until yer in bed, ya got that?”

“Mhm.” 

The rest of the walk to Yondu’s cabin was uneventful, if painful and slow. They avoided broken pieces of metal on the ground, and Kraglin kept sneezing from all the dust in the air. And of course Yondu’s entire weight was on him, and Kraglin wasn’t really sure how he was even managing to support him. But finally they arrived, and he was relieved to see that someone had fixed up the nest and left some damp rags and a mug of water on the table. 

“Alright, into bed.” Kraglin somehow eased a semi-conscious Yondu into the large bunk. Immediately he curled up around himself. Kraglin ran the rag over Yondu’s face, wiping the blood off and cleaning the cuts as best he could. Yondu winced at the feeling. Kraglin patted his arm. “Sorry, sir. Gotta do it.” He handed Yondu the mug of water and he took a few sips, looking mildly disgusted. Finally, he squinted at Kraglin.

“Yer bleedin’ too, stupid.” Kraglin reached up and touched his forehead. His fingers came away blue and sticky.  _ Damn.  _ He must’ve hit his head in the blast. 

“I’ll be fine,” he mumbled. It was mostly dried now anyway. “You should go to sleep.” He pulled the blanket over Yondu. “If you wake up and need anythin, call.” He turned to go, only for Yondu to catch his arm. 

“Stay.” Kraglin froze. Obviously, he’d stayed with Yondu before. He did it often. But it was usually because he couldn’t move after sex, or he was too exhausted to go to his own cabin at the end of a long day, and they would end up passing out together, Kraglin sprawled across Yondu’s chest. This… this was different. And there was work to be done, so much he needed to deal with. But he couldn’t say no, so he just nodded, and crawled into the nest beside Yondu. He was afraid to touch him, not certain how much pain the Captain was in, so he laid there on his back, staring up at the ceiling and not saying a word. But when Yondu’s breathing finally evened out and slowed, Kraglin rolled over and slipped his arms around his torso, resting his head against Yondu’s back. This was how they fell asleep; Yondu curled around himself, and Kraglin holding onto him like he would disappear if he let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked this one. More Yondu pain to come next chapter. If you liked it, leave me a kudos and let me know what you thought in the comments. And come say hi over on tumblr at [obfonteri](http://obfonteri.tumblr.com)!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating. I had a busy couple of days and didn't have time to finish this chapter. But here it is!

Kraglin woke up to the crushing weight of one of Yondu’s legs thrown across his abdomen.  _ What in the…  _ His eyes snapped open and he looked at his captain, face screwed up in sleepy confusion. How did they get like this? Yondu grunted and shifted slightly, more of his weight pressing against Kraglin, and suddenly the memories from the day before came rushing back to him.  _ Oh yeah.  _

“Krags…” Yondu’s voice was hoarse with exhaustion and pain. “Go git me some water.” Kraglin rolled his eyes fondly, not having the heart to argue. 

“I would, if ya wasn’t crushin’ me with yer meaty-ass leg.” Kraglin gave the captain a shove. “Ya gotta git offa me first, sir.” 

Yondu made a noise that sounded vaguely like an affirmation and shifted enough for Kraglin to shove his leg away and wiggle off the bed. He landed in an undignified heap on the floor, but popped up immediately and walked around toward the door. Yondu’s eyes were still closed, and his face was contorted, both in pain and something else. Kraglin hated seeing him like this, and he knew Yondu hated it even more. 

“Want me to get ya some painkillers too, boss?” Yondu grunted again. Kraglin took that as a yes. He slipped out of the room as quietly as he could and went off to find what Yondu asked for.  _ If it were up to me, I’d let the damn bastard keep Quill. But Yondu’s too frikin’ attached. He’ll say he ain’t soft, but I know he cares. Maybe too much, but I ain’t about to be the one to let the boy die. We’s gonna save him, for the Captain’s sake.  _

Kraglin nudged Yondu’s door open with his foot, carrying a mug of water in one hand and painkillers in the other. “You awake?”

Yondu was. In Kraglin’s absence, he’d propped himself up on his elbows. His teeth were bared in a grimace. He looked awful, Kraglin thought, taking in the grossly scarring cuts on his face, the dented fin on his head, the big black bruise forming around his right eye. He probably had a concussion too. Yondu had been injured in battle before, but not like this. Somehow though, Kraglin suspected only part of his pain was physical. He hovered in the doorway, assessing the damage from a distance.

“What, you just gonna stand there, boy? Those pills ain’t gonna help me from o’er there.” So he hadn’t lost his sense of humor, at least. Kraglin smiled sheepishly and shuffled over to the edge of the bed, handing them and the water to Yondu. He swallowed them down in one gulp, made a face, then turned to look at Kraglin who was standing over him, brow knitted in concern.

“I ain’t dyin’, Kraglin. Ya can take a step back.” Nodding, the first mate walked around and climbed onto the bed next to Yondu instead. “You still here?”

“No offense meant, Cap’n, but I ain’t goin’ anywhere. Not ‘til we’s got a plan ta get back Quill.”

Ah. That hit a nerve. Yondu closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, letting out a breath. “I dunno if that’s possible, Krags.” 

“‘Course it is, Cap’n.”

“And what makes ya so sure about that?”

Kraglin hesitated. “I know you’d cross the entire flarkin’ galaxy by yerself for that boy. You’s was ready to risk the lives of the entire crew to protect him— an’ I’m not sayin’ that was smart, or that we all liked it, but you sure as heck care. And when ya put yer mind to somethin’, you sees it through.” Yondu opened his eyes and peered at Kraglin, searching his face for… something. “But I know you ain’t indestructible. But ya got me. And ya know I’d do anythin’ fer ya, Captain. Ya gotta know that.” Yondu opened his mouth to say something, probably to argue, but Kraglin pressed on. “And them boys o’ yours, they may complain but they’ve got just as much thirst fer blood as we’ve got. And they may’nt like it, but they knows the importance o’ protectin’ our kind. We’re a team, o’ we’re nothin. We’re gonna get Quill back, Cap’n. Or we’ll die trying. And I’m gonna be by yer side the whole time.”

Yondu held Kraglin’s gaze for what seemed like an eternity. “Jus’ like yer supposed ta be.”

“Yeah, Yondu. Just just I’m supposed to.”

*******

The next few days were uneventful, to say the least. Yondu wasn’t showing any interest in leaving his cabin to go give orders, despite Kraglin’s insistence that a little normalcy might make him feel better. Yondu had simply shot back that  _ nothin’s normal without Quill here!  _ It made Kraglin wonder how Yondu would handle the inevitable day that Peter’s rebellious side would kick in and he’d decide the Ravagers weren’t enough, and take off on his own. If they managed to get him back and save him from Ego’s treacherous plans, that is.  _ When _ , he tried to tell himself.  _ Not gettin’ Quill back ain’t an option here. We just need a plan is all.  _

But with every day that Yondu kept himself cooped up all day in bed, his impatience level rose, and he was getting ornery and a little stir crazy. Kraglin spent his days on the bridge bossing the rest of the crew around in Yondu’s place, and when he finally retreated to the Captain’s quarters, they spent hours simple sitting in silence. Yondu didn’t want to talk about it. Kraglin wouldn’t have known what to say anyway. Instead, he tried to do whatever he could to ease Yondu’s pain, both mental and physical. He dressed his wounds. Brought him painkillers and food. One night he even rubbed Yondu’s shoulders despite the Captain’s insistence that Kraglin didn’t want to touch all his scars. Kraglin just replied that he’d put his hands all over them before, just in a different context, and this wasn’t about Kraglin anyway. Yondu shut up and let him do it, and Kraglin hoped it helped at least a little.

It was hard seeing him like this. He’d lost all motivation for anything he normally enjoyed, which could be boiled down to three things: going on raids, being bossy, and sex. The former wasn’t possible with a badly damaged ship, although the crew was doing their best to patch it back together as fast as possible. The later bugged Kraglin more. Not because he was desperately horny but because it was so unlike Yondu to be this disengaged. 

And of course, Kraglin wanted ( _ needed _ ) to address Yondu’s thoughts on a plan to get Quill back. Kraglin had never been one to come up with brilliant ideas, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to do this on his own. But talking about it to Yondu was impossible when he refused to even acknowledge Quill was gone. It wasn’t like he was pretending any different, but he seemed to have this mentality where if he never said it, never talked about it, then it didn’t affect him and he didn’t have to deal with it. It was a mental roadblock that Kraglin had no idea if or how he could get around it. 

And that was how things were, for a while.

One day though, Kraglin couldn’t hold back anymore. He marched into Yondu’s cabin in the middle of the day (something he never did since he rarely had time to take a break), and sat himself down on the edge of the bed. Yondu looked at him wearily, impatiently, waiting for an explanation. Kraglin gave him one.

“Cap’n, I gotta be honest with ya. We’ve been managin’ alright without yer help, it’s hard, but the ship is almost fixed and we’s about ready to get back into action. Whatever ya wanna do. We just need orders.”

“I don’t care. Tell ‘em something. Pick a planet and go loot it. It don’t matter ta’ me. Them boys’ve gone long enough without gettin’ paid. They’s probably hate me now, no need ta keep ‘em waiting.”

Kraglin sighed. This is not how the conversation was supposed to go. “Cap’n, please. Ya gotta listen to me. Them boys don’t hatecha. They’s just feelin’ a little lost is all. Without their Captain ta ell ‘em what ta do. Now I’m the best firs’ mate in the whole galaxy, but I ain’t no Cap’n and I ain’t gonna be able ta fill yer shoes. If raidin’ and lootin’ is what you want to do, then fine. We’ll do it. But it’s gotta come from you, directly, or they ain’t gonna accept it. Because ya know what they’s expecting ta hear? They’s expecting ya to tell ‘em that we’d gonna go after Ego and rescue Quill, and they’s okay with that. Whatever ya wanna do, they’s beind ya. We all is. But…  _ dammit, Cap’n _ , I ain’t gonna let you sit here day after day an’ pretend that nothin’ ever happened. Quill’s gone, and whether ya like it or not, ya gotta do something about it. Because ya know what? The crew put their lives on the line once already, to protect that flarkin’ Terran, and we failed. And we half destroyed the ship in the process. We lost  _ lives,  _ Cap’n. We had to give two o’ out boys a funeral  _ without you there,  _ and it weren’t right. But still that don’t bother us none, because that’s what we do. We fight, and we lose, and we get back on our feet and fight again. We will fight the same losing battle over and over because we doesn’t learn, but the one thing we  _ won’t  _ do is not finish somethin’ we started. We ain’t losing lives for the Terran without gettin’ him back.” Kraglin was out of breath at this point. He hadn’t looked at Yondu the whole time, knowing that one angry look would stop him, but he couldn’t stop until he said his piece. But now he did look at him, carefully, nervously, and Yondu’s red eyes stared back at him.

“What we lost  _ cannot  _ be in vain, Cap’n,” he all but whispered. “It just can’t be.”

Yondu’s gaze burned into Kraglin and it felt like he was staring right through him. Kraglin closed his eyes.  _ Please, please just say something. Agree with me. Yell at me and kick me out, just— something.  _

“Yer preachin’ to the choir, boy.” His eyes snapped open. “I know this stuff, that’s why I’m the Captain, ya idjit.” A small, tentative smile tugged on Kraglin’s lips, and he looked at Yondu hopefully. “We’ll get Quill back. You go tell those boys that. Tell Ego. Tell everyone. But Krags—” Yondu put a hand on his first mate’s shoulder, looking at him seriously. It almost felt normal. “You gotta make the plan.” 

“Me, Cap’n?” Kraglin croaked. “I ain’t a plan-maker.”

“Well today you is. Got that?”

“Yessir.” Kraglin turned to slide off the bed, but Yomdu grabbed the back of his leathers and tugged, pulling him towards him. The force of it send Kraglin sprawling onto his back, his head on Yondu’s knee. Yondu leaned over him and grinned, practically nose-to-nose. 

“Yer gonna make a good Captain one day, Obfonteri. Yer good at givin’ orders.” Kraglin smirked and propped himself up on his elbows just enough to press a small kiss on Yondu’s lips. Then he rolled off the bed and ran to the door before Yondu could properly react. 

“Aye, Cap’n,” he said saluting him from the doorway, and disappeared. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed Kraglin's long passionate rants. I'd like to think that Krags is the only one Yondu lets speak to him like that, and in return, Yondu is the only one who can bring out this side of Kraglin. They're a good team.


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn’t a good plan. It wasn’t really even a plan at all. It was an idea, a concept, and one that Kraglin was pretty sure wouldn’t work.  _ But that’s what you get when you put your first mate who isn’t a plan-maker in charge of making a plan.  _ He was annoyed, but not too much. He was just glad to see the Captain back in good spirits. Well, better spirits. Once a plan was on the table, Yondu had sprung to life. Kraglin still made him spend time resting, because that concussion wouldn’t go away any faster no matter what the plan was. But it was impossible to keep him cooped up when there was work to be done.

Bossy, annoying, kinda scary Yondu was back, and Kraglin would take that over sad and pitiful Yondu any day. There were still times when the first mate found him sitting silently by himself, staring out the window. He kept checking Peter’s vital signs tracker when he thought no one was looking— not that he was close enough for it to work. And one night Kraglin walked in on him listening to one of the boy’s songs that he had saved on the ship. But they never talked about those times. And Yondu’s good moments far outnumbered his bad ones. For that, Kraglin was grateful. 

“You got somethin’ to tell me, Kraglin?” Yondu had strutted up behind the first mate where he sat in the pilot’s chair, leaning over his shoulder and leering at him. Once his surprise at the Captain being up and about had worn off, Kraglin looked up and around at the him, a slightly worried but otherwise cheerful snaggle-toothed grin on his face. 

“Yessir. Got that plan ya asked for.” He spun the chair around so he was facing Yondu properly. Yondu crossed his arms, looking down at him expectantly. “We’s gonna go to Ego’s planet.” Yondu nodded. “We’s gonna sneak in there.” Another nod. “And then we’s gonna grab Quill and get out.” Yondu stared.

“That’s it. That’s your plan?”

“Look, if you ain’t happy with it, make yer own plan. I told ya I ain’t good at this stuff.” Kraglin swiveled the chair back and forth restlessly. “M’sorry, Cap’n. Didn’t mean to disappoint ya.”

Yondu sighed and ran a hand over his face. When he removed it, Kraglin could see the weariness starting to creep back into his expression, the way his eyes creased and his mouth had angled back into a frown. “Nah. Ya didn’t. There ain’t no good way to do this. It’s hopeless, gettin’ Quill back, I don’t know why I bother—”

“No!” Kraglin jumped up, and his height gave him the advantage he needed right now. Yondu glared up at him, and Kraglin looked right back. “We ain’t givin’ up Captain, fer the love of… so it ain’t a fully developed plan yet. That’s okay. It's better than nothing.” Kraglin put his hands on Yondu’s shoulders in a way that was intended to be calming. “We’re Ravagers. We steal shit for a living. We stole the boy from Terra. Ain’t no reason why we can't steal him from Ego too.”

Yondu seemed to consider this for a minute. Eyes still locked on Kraglin suspiciously, he sat down in the chair the first mate had occupied moments before and put his fingers to his chin in thought. Kraglin stood, watching him carefully as if he could read his thoughts if he stared hard enough. So far, that wasn’t working. The silence dragged on an uncomfortably long time before Yondu nodded slowly. 

“Alright. We ain’t got a better idea. No concrete details. Gonna improvise. Great.” To say he seemed exasperated was an understatement. But there was also a glint in Yondu’s eyes that was unmistakably  _ excitement _ , and Kraglin couldn’t help but grin. “Go tell the others that we’re goin’ to get our boy back.”

*******

That’s how they ended up on a fast course set for Ego. Kraglin spent the travel time briefing the crew on the “plan”. 

“Okay boys, consider this a raid. A super secret dangerous raid. We land, we infiltrate, we get Quill, and we get the hell outta there. No lookin’ around, no lootin’, no pickin’ fights unless you gotta. We’s here for one thing and one thing only. Any distractions could be detrimental and we could completely fail and all die. Got it?” Mumbled affirmations rippled through the crowd.

One of the guys raised his hand hesitantly. “What’s detrimental mean, Krags?”

The first mate sighed. “It’s like… damaging. Bad. I don’t know. This ain’t an important conversation to be having right now, Gef.” The stocky little man nodded and fell quiet. “Now, we ain’t all goin’ down there, because there ain’t no way we can sneak all you buffoons onto a planet and not get noticed. This ain’t war, we don’t need an army. So it’s gonna be me, and the Cap’n, and Tullk that go to find Quill. Horuz, Oblo, n’ Halfnut, you’ll come down too but stay with the ship while we look around. The rest of you will stay here n’ keep an eye on things. Be ready with backup in case we need it. Understood?” Nods all around. That was good. The crowd dispersed and Kraglin flopped down into a chair, wiping his brow.  _ Eesh. This bein’ in charge stuff is hard. _

“Obfonteri,” a gruff voice said. Kraglin opened his eyes. It was Tullk. “You sure you trust Halfnut to come down and help us? I don’t know if you’re aware, but he’s been feelin’ bitter lately, ‘speciall towards you n’ Quill n’ even the Cap’n. You ain’t worried he’s gonna betray us?”

Kraglin shrugged. “I’m aware. And I trust him about as far as I can throw him. But he’s the best fighter we got. He ain’t lookin’ for Quill, just protecting our only means of escape off that flarking planet. He tries to pull any shit, he’ll get us all killed, including himself. He narrowed his eyes, looking around at the empty room like it was filled with invisible enemies ready to mutiny at any moment. “That goes for anyone, comin’ with us or not.” He hoped that was enough of an answer to satisfy the man. It seemed to be; Tullk nodded, beat his chest, and walked off, probably to prepare to leave.

Which is what Kraglin figured he should probably do too. As much as he’d love to take a little catnap, it was unrealistic. Too much to get done. So he fought back a yawn, scratched his mohawk, and went to track down Yondu. 

He found him in his cabin, looking over his clothes in the broken mirror propped up on the wall. Kraglin walked up behind him, looking over his shoulder. Yondu acknowledged his presence but didn’t turn to look at him— he could see the first mate just fine in the reflection.

“Everyone’s ready to go,” Kraglin said. Yondu didn’t say anything, just kept staring at his reflection. “I always think ya good good, Cap’n,” he added in a joking voice. “Don’ worry about that.” The corners of Yondu’s lips turned up a bit, even if he didn’t say anything. “If you ain’t got nothing else for me to do, I’m gonna get a little shut-eye before tomorrow. Ya know. If you want to join me.” Kraglin knew better than to tell Yondu what to do, but he wanted to put the idea of sleep in the Captain’s head anyway. They both needed rest before the big event.

Luckily, Yondu was receptive. Mostly. “You go ahead. I’m goin’ for a walk. I’ll join you in a bit.” He gave himself one more glance before walking out of the cabin. Kraglin watched him go with a small sigh. 

“Aye, Cap’n,” he muttered after Yondu’s retreating back. He flopped over on the bed, kicking his boots off and wiggling out of his jacket and pants. They collected in a heap on the floor. Yondu would probably trip over them when he returned. Kraglin didn’t care enough to move them. He stretched out, too hot to be under the blankets, and stared at the ceiling. He couldn’t seem to fall asleep. But when he finally heard the sound of Yondu entering the room, he shut his eyes and pretended to not be awake, only drifting off once the Captain was beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a shorty, sorry! Next chapter will have all the excitement, I promise!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Life and all that. Hope it's worth the wait!

Kraglin was up with the dawn, and he wasn’t surprised to find the other side of the bed already empty. It was entirely possible that Yondu hadn’t slept at all, and he’d just imagined him tucked against his side. But when he dragged himself out of bed, dressed, and headed to the bridge, Yondu was sitting there, looking like he’d only just woken up as well. Kraglin smiled a bit to himself and came up behind him, a hand resting lightly on his shoulder. Yondu jumped and turned around, relaxing only a fraction when he saw who it was.

“Ready for the big day, Cap’n?” Kraglin asked, as cheerfully as he could muster. Yondu grunted in response. “We’re almost there. Not far from the jump point, which means we’ve gone as far as we can go.” He pointed out the window, but Yondu wasn’t interested.

“Go gather the team coming with us. Tell them to prepare an M-ship.” Yondu turned back to the dashboard, his eyes drifting to Peter’s tracker. Kraglin nodded and backed out, not wanting to say anything more.

Tullk, Oblo, and Horuz were waiting together near the hangar. Kraglin walked up to them, eyes narrowed.

“No clue where Halfnut is,” Tullk said before Kraglin could ask.

“Flark.” The first mate sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Oblo, go find him.” The other Ravager grumbled and stomped off. “Horuz, go get a ship ready.” He saluted and disappeared into the hangar. Kraglin and Tullk exchanged a long look.

“Are we ready for this, Kraglin?” the older man asked.

“No,” he said honestly. “I have no clue what we’re doing. None of us do. But we gotta save Quill. Gotta do it for the Captain.”

At that point, Oblo and Halfnut rounded the corner. Tullk discreetly slipped into the hangar to check on Horuz, and Kraglin turned on the new arrivals. 

“You’re late,” he said to Halfnut flatly. The young man scowled. “Don’t say anything, just go get to the ship.” Halfnut stalked inside with Oblo behind, but not without giving him the finger. Kraglin just scoffed and paged Yondu. “We’re all ready to go, Cap’n.” 

“I’m on my way,” Yondu said shortly and disconnected. Kraglin followed the rest of the mission crew to the M-ship and slid into the right side pilot’s seat. The other four were strapped in the back seats, leaving the left side seat for Yondu. They sat in wary silence until the Captain arrived. 

Yondu took his own seat and off they went. It was just a few clicks to the jump point, and they navigated that with ease. Kraglin half expected to be met with an army the moment they entered Ego’s atmosphere, but it was eerily quiet and still. Like there was no one on the planet at all. But that wasn’t true at all, and they all knew it. Quill was here, Ego was here (in some form), and who knew what else. 

“I’m gonna land us down there,” Kraglin said, pointing down at a sandy clearing. In the distance he could see the sprawl of what looked like a castle, and this area seemed remote enough. The others mumbled affirmations, and Kraglin put the ship into a hover, and slowly lowered them to the ground. They landed with a cloud of sand surrounding them. When the dust cleared, Kraglin, Yondu, and Tullk stepped down onto the surface. 

“You three are gonna stay here and watch the ship. If there are any problems, call for backup. Do NOT leave us stranded here. Got that?” Horuz, Oblo, and Halfnut, still inside the ship, all nodded with varying degrees of annoyance. “Right. Let’s go.” The door closed behind them, and Kraglin stepped back to let Yondu take the lead. 

“I imagine we gotta go there.” Yondu pointed with a slender blue finger toward the tall building. “That’s where Quill’s gonna be.” 

It was early morning on Ego’s planet— still mostly dark, with just the slightest bit of light starting to peek over the horizon. The three Ravagers trekked across the dunes in the warm glow of the rising sun until they reached the base of a large set of stairs leading up to an even larger set of swinging doors. “Do we just… go in?” Tullk asked hesitantly. Kraglin looked at Yondu for the answer. 

The Captain puffed out his chest. “Well it ain’t gonna do us no good to stand out here, is it? If we’re lucky, maybe he’ll be sleeping!” Yondu barked out a laugh.

“Not if you keep bein’ loud,” Kraglin muttered under his breath, too quiet for Yondu to hear. “Let’s go, then.” He jogged up the stairs and reached for the handle… only for the door to swing open on it’s own.

“Reckon they’s expecting us?” Tullk hissed to Yondu as they followed Kraglin up the stairs. He shrugged.

“Let’s explore a little, shall we?”

Once inside, they found themselves in a large entrance hall. High ceilings, colored glass walls.  _ Very pristine _ , Kraglin thought, noticing the lack of dust anywhere.  _ That’s strange. It’s so empty.  _ The three walked down the corridor, following the cavernous winding halls, looking around at the architecture in awe. Something caught Kraglin’s eye, and he stopped.

“Cap’n look,” he said, pointing. “Down there, end of the hall. There’s a door.”

Yondu looked at Kraglin like he’d sprouted a second head. “Yeah? So what?”

“ _ So,”  _ he said, “there ain’t any other doors, ‘cept for the main one. Everything is all open, with archways.” Yondu’s face lit up.

“Well then. What’s behind this secret little door, hm?” He strode off down the hall, coat flapping behind him. Just before he reached the end, a short figure stepped out from another archway, blocking Yondu’s path. All three of them froze.

“You cannot go in there.” Kraglin shuffled up behind Yondu to see who their confronter was. It was a young girl, green toned skin, large eyes, two antennae. Kraglin made a face. 

“Like hell I can, girl,” Yondu said. “Get out of the way.” 

“I am sorry,” she said. “I will not let you.” 

“Oh yeah?” Yondu’s eyes gleamed. “How about now?” His lips pursed, ready to whistle, but the girl’s hand shot out, grabbed onto his wrist. “You’re gonna stop me, skinny little thing?”

_ “Sleep!”  _ she exclaimed, voice rising in pitch. Immediately, Yondu crashed to the ground, eyes rolled back and closed. The other two rushed forward, Tullk to Yondu’s side, and Kraglin to the girl. He drew two knives, one in each hand, and pointed them at her with a steady glare.

“What did you do to him?” he asked in a low voice. The girl looked horrified. If her eyes could’ve gotten any wider than they already were, then they would have. 

“He is just sleeping,” she said in a trembling voice. “I did not know what else to do. I could not let him go through that door.” Kraglin didn’t move. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to take back our Terran,” Kraglin said, spitting. “Is he in there?” He gestured with the knife in his left hand and the girl flinched. 

“You are the people who my master paid to collect his children,” she said slowly. “You are angry because he took his son from you, even though it was your job to bring him to Ego and you did not.” Kraglin’s brow knit. She didn’t sound accusatory. She sounded… confused? Like she was trying to understand the reasoning. “Why do you want him back?”

Tullk had managed to wake Yondu, and the Captain sat up, holding his back and looking very put-out. Still, that didn’t stop him from answering the girl’s question as he stood. “Because I know what Ego does to those kids, and I ain’t letting him do it to Quill.”

The girl looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but she spoke firmly. “There are many things you do not understand,” she said. “It is not like that this time. Peter is the one Ego has been searching for all along. He will not be harmed.”

Kraglin wasn’t buying it and neither, it seemed, was Yondu. “That’s what the old bastard told me when he hired me. But all those kids ended up dead anyway, so I need you to tell me where the boy is so I can get him out of here.” His words were punctured by a sharp whistle, and the girl found herself staring down an arrow aimed right between her big eyes. She took a step back. The arrow followed. She sighed and looked down. It seemed like she was concentrating heavily. When she looked up, there was an expression on her face Kraglin couldn’t read.

“...I will wake Peter for you. But he may not wish to go with you. Please wait through here.” She gestured through the arch through which she had come. Yondu tucked the arrow back in his coat, and Kraglin peered inside. There was a sitting area with chairs a table in the center. He wondered for a moment if that had all just appeared for their arrival.  _ How magic is this place?  _

Reluctantly, the three of them sat down, and the girl disappeared. Kraglin looked between his companions and pulled out his comm. “Hey Horuz. Just checkin’ in. We’re doin’ okay. Report back later.” He glanced across the table at Yondu, who wa picking at his teeth. “Whaddya think, Cap’n?”

“I think that weird little bug girl isn’t telling us everything, but she knocked me out so she ain’t helpless either. We’re in a tricky spot.” Yondu didn’t look at either one of them when he spoke, and Kraglin was glad.

“So uh… what are we gonna do about it then,” he asked, praying that Yondu wouldn’t make him come up with that plan too. 

Yondu grinned, laughing under his breath a little. “We’s gonna grab Quill and run like hell,” he said. Well, it was no worse than anything Kraglin could come up with.

_ “Yondu?”  _

A voice from the doorway whipped three Ravager heads around and they all stared. Peter was standing there, hands on his hips and headphones around his neck, gaping at them. The bug girl was behind him. 

“C’mon Quill, we’s leavin’ this…”

Peter ignored him. “Mantis, I don’t wanna see them. Why didn’t you tell me who it was?”

_ Mantis.  _ Somewhere in the back of Kraglin’s mind, he laughed.  _ Fitting name.  _

“I did not know their names. I told you one of them was blue.”

“There are a million blue people out there!” Peter made a face. “ _ He  _ was the last person I was expecting to show up here.” Yondu whistled, and the arrow hung in front of Peter, threatening. The boy didn’t look impressed, and just crossed his arms. “If you were gonna kill me anyway, you wouldn’t have come all the way here,” he said. “I ain’t talking to you.”

Kraglin stood. He could see that Yondu was getting anxious, and he was worried that the Captain  _ was  _ going to kill the kid if he kept resisting. “C’mon Pete,” he murmured in a low voice. “Just come talk?” Yondu backed up his words with an ugly but sincere smile. Peter mimed throwing up and rolled his eyes, but walked over anyway, dragging his feet, and flopped down on the couch. 

“What.”

“Boy, there’s a goddamn reason I didn’t bring you here. I dunno what Ego has told you, but he’s killing his children. He killed every single one I brought here before you, and when I found out, I wasn’t gonna let you reach the same fate. I don’t know why he ain’t killed you yet, but he will, boy. You want that?” Yondu’s face was contorted. He was  _ angry.  _ And… something else, too.

Still, Peter resisted. “Ego told me all that. He said I’m special. And I am! I have the connection to the light, see?” He snapped his fingers and a harsh white light flickered between them like a flame. Kraglin and Tullk were captivated by it, but Yondu was unimpressed.

“What else did he tell you, boy? That you’re a god, like him? That one day you could control the entire universe or some bullshit like that? Because it ain’t true! Ego’s nothing more than a lying douchebag!”

From the doorway, Mantis looked nervous, shifting back and forth on her feet. Kraglin leaned over to Yondu. “Talk quieter,” he hissed. “I think Ego’s sleeping.” Yondu nodded and kept glaring at Peter. The boy balled his hands into fists.

“No he ain’t!” he exclaimed. “He’s nice, and he’s my  _ father _ , which is more than you can say!” Yondu’s expression drooped and Kraglin resisted to urge to put a hand on his arm. To… do something. He didn’t, either way. Peter went on. “He told me all about how he’s going to share spread his powers around the universe and everything is going to be so much better! He said I’m here to help him, because I can control the light and stuff. It’s my destiny.”

Yondu shook his head. “I don’t know why, but he’s lying to you boy. I know it. You ain’t safe here.”

Peter stood up quickly, nearly dislodging his walkman in the process. Kraglin watched how he scrambled to secure it, and wondered how the kid ever had survived with the Ravagers when his music player was more of a priority than his own life. “He’s telling the truth. You never tell the truth. Leave me alone. I’m just fine here.”

“No you are not.” Mantis’ voice from the doorway made everyone freeze in their tracks. “You are  _ not  _ safe here. None of you are. Ego is not planning to spread his powers to help the universe! He wants to destroy it! He is just using you because he cannot do it alone. Every other child that has been brought to him could not do what you can, so he killed them. There will be nothing left in the universe once he executes his plan. He will probably kill you too, if the light doesn’t do it first.” The all four of them stared at Mantis, horrified, as she went on. “You cannot let him succeed. I should have told you sooner, Peter. Do you believe me?” They all looked at Peter. The boy was clutching his walkman hard, clinging to it like a lifeline. Finally, he nodded slowly.

“Good. Now listen to me closely. As soon as Ego wakes up, he is going to be very angry, so you must go now.”

“What are we even still standing here for?” Kraglin was on his feet immediately. “Let’s go!” The others stood too. “Will you show us the way out?” he asked Mantis. She nodded.

“Yes. You must hurry. This way!” The five of them ran out of the room, toward the main entrance. The doors were still open. But as they barged toward them, they swung shut with a loud clatter. 

“Just where do you think you’re going?” Ego’s voice boomed as he appeared from the corridor. They all froze and turned around. Tullk shoved Peter behind him, and Yondu and Kraglin drew their weapons. Mantis slowly walked toward the celestial.

“There are leaving,” she said, shaking.

“No they aren’t.” Ego’s glare was deadly, but Mantis did not flinch.

“Yes they are!” she said, and grabbed Ego’s arms with both hands.

“Let go of me!” He tried to throw her off, but she clung to him tightly.

“No! Sleep!  _ Sleeeeeeep!!!!!”  _ Kraglin watched them in silent horror.  _ If she can’t make him sleep, we’re all gonna die.  _ But Ego collapsed to the ground, and Mantis leaned over him, her hands still tightly wrapped around him. “I can’t hold him for long! You have to run!”

Yondu nodded. “Let’s go!” he said, gesturing over his shoulder. He pulled the door open and the four of them raced down the stairs. Once they were on flat ground, Yondu grabbed Peter and tossed him up onto his shoulders so they could move faster. Kraglin might’ve said something about how  _ cute  _ that was, if they weren’t literally running for their lives, and he was looking to get skewered with an arrow. 

They sprinted across the terrain as fast as they could, and Kraglin grabbed his comm. “Horuz! Oblo! Halfnut! Anyone who’s there— we’s coming, and we’s coming fast. We gotta get in the air as soon as we’s on the ship. Get ready!” He didn’t wait for an answer, just stuffed the device away and pushed his long and skinny legs as hard as he could. When they reached the M-ship, the door was open for them. They flung themselves inside and up they went, looking down at the rapidly disappearing planet. Into the atmosphere and back through the jump point. They were silent, and it seemed as though no one breathed until they were docked in the  _ Eclector.  _

They didn’t talk much then either. Peter went right to his cabin and locked himself inside, turning up his music loudly. Tullk, Horuz, Oblo, and Halfnut went back to their duties. Yondu disappeared somewhere, leaving Kraglin to keep an eye on things. He wanted to get them out of there as fast as he could, so he went to cockpit bride and relieved the pilot, Lough, and took control of the ship instead. He turned them around and started heading as far away from Ego’s world as possible. 

Hours later, Yondu came onto the bridge, walking up behind Kraglin silently. “Krags,” he said, voice faltering. Kraglin stood immediately, gesturing for someone else to take the helm. 

“Aye, Cap’n?”

“Come… to our quarters. We have some debriefing to do.” The Captain looked weary, but there was an unmistakable glint in Yondu’s eye that made Kraglin grin to himself.

“Yessir.” He followed Yondu to their quarters, and there they stayed for the rest of the day.

*******

When Ego awoke, he was disconcerted at first, then angry. He threw Mantis off of him with such force that she crashed into the wall and slid to the ground, unconscious. He left her there and stomped back to his room to weigh his options.

He could go after the Ravagers now, kill Udonta, and take back Peter. But now he didn’t know how much Peter knew, and if he couldn’t get him to cooperate, then…

He flung himself into a chair and put his head in his hands.  _ I try  _ so  _ hard… _

An incoming transmission jerked him out of his thoughts and he answered it warily. Peter’s face stared back at him, but it was just a recording.

“I left with Yondu. He’s more of a family to me than you are. I’m not ready to leave everything behind again and come live with you. I’m sorry. The whole light thing was pretty awesome. And you have a good taste in music, like my mom. She was a lot cooler than you are, though. Bye.”

Ego laughed. He laughed and laughed, long after the screen went black. Only a knock on his door interrupted him, and Mantis walked in, her head bowed.

“I am sorry, sir. It is my fault they got away.”

Ego shook his head. “That’s alright. You were scared. No harm done! Peter’s young. Perhaps too young to comprehend the importance of the role he must play in this universe. One day, when he’s older, he’ll understand. He’ll come back to us… and then the expansion can begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! That was a lot. If it was a little condensed, I apologize. Really wanted to get the chapter out. But anyway! What do we think of that? Everything will be wrapped up in the next (and final) chapter which I'll hopefully get out by the end of the weekend, as I start my job on Monday. We won't be seeing any more of Ego and Mantis in this story, but it's open ended enough to allow the plot of Vol. 2 to happen with only a few little changes. Or maybe something else will happen entirely! I don't plan on writing that at this point, maybe in the future? But what do you think might happen in the coming years?
> 
> Thank you for reading and following this story! Let me know what you think. One more chapter left, people!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kraglin and Peter talk things out.

For Kraglin, the weeks following Peter’s rescue were normal. It was as if the whole thing had never happened at all. Yondu especially was ignoring it, changing the subject abruptly if it ever came up, or someone made the mistake of mentioning Ego. In fact, Kraglin might’ve been able to convince himself that he _had_ made it up, except for the one little thing that _wasn’t_ normal in the day-to-day life on the ship. Peter kept himself locked in his cabin unless someone dragged him out to do chores. He didn’t hack into the comm system to blast his music, he didn’t take his M-ship out, and he refused to speak to Yondu at all. And that’s what worried Kraglin.

Obviously Yondu hadn’t said anything to Kraglin about it, because that would mean mentioning the  _ thing we ain’t gonna mention _ . But the first mate knew his Captain well enough to know it was making him anxious. Peter seemed upset with Yondu, or angry, and Yondu felt guilty about it. Why, Kraglin didn’t know. Yondu hadn’t done anything wrong. But the Centaurian seemed almost lonely without the little Terran running around the ship and terrorizing the crew. It was like he was still gone.

And well, Kraglin still didn’t give a rat’s ass about the kid or his feelings or anything, but he knew Yondu did, and he  _ did  _ care about Yondu’s. So one day, he banged loudly on Peter’s door twice and entered without waiting for a response. The boy was sitting on his bunk, staring out the window and listening to his music. He had his back to Kraglin and didn’t hear him until Kraglin pulled the headphones from his ears. He turned around, and Kraglin could hear the light echo of music from the device dropped on the bed.

“Get offa me,” Peter grumbled, shoving Kraglin away. He took a step back and held up his hands in surrender.

“Sorry, kid, but we gotta talk.” Kraglin chewed his lip and shifted his weight uncomfortably from one boot to the other. He towered over the boy, sitting cross legged on the bed, but it didn’t seem to intimidate Peter at all, so it didn’t really matter.

“About what?” Peter said, disinterested. He flopped over on his back and looked at the ceiling instead of Kraglin. The Xandarian tried not to show that that bothered him. “Since when do you care about what I do?”

Kraglin frowned and crossed his arms, glaring down at him. “Since you started ignorin’ the Cap’n and causing a disruption in the everyday workings of this ship and crew.”

Peter lifted his head enough to give Kraglin a skeptical look and a roll of his eyes. “I thought Yondu would be glad ta have me outta his hair for once,” he muttered. “I don’t think he misses me or anything like that.”

_ Right. This is where things get… tricky.  _

“I think yer wrong, kid.” Kraglin’s voice was scratchy and he hesitantly sat on the edge of Peter’s bed, half expecting the kid to kick him. But Peter didn’t, just sat up fully and gave him a quizzical look. “He ain’t said nothin’ to me about it, because he ain’t like that, but he does miss ya. Just like he did when you’s was gone with your old man.”

Peter, unconvinced, shook his head. “He thinks I’m a burden, and annoying, and he hates me.”

Kraglin prayed to whatever  _ other  _ celestial beings were out there that he wasn’t wrong about what he was saying, and that Yondu wouldn’t kill him if he ever found out about this conversation. “Now that just ain’t true,” he said seriously. “Those other things, maybe, but he don’t hate’cha. He came after ya, didn’t he? He came and fought your jackass of a father so he couldn’t kill ya or do whatever other evil things he was planning.”

“Took him long enough,” Peter mumbled. 

Kraglin looked furious. “Now dontchu go blamin’ him for that. We already lost one fight against Ego, we wasn’t gonna go charging into another. And besides that, he was in no condition to go after you for a while. We had a lotta casualties we had to deal with while you was off playing catch with daddy. Besides,” he huffed, staring out the window. “We wasn’t entirely sure you was even alive, and if you were, if you wanted to come back. Even when we finally did come and rescue you. And with you bein’ all distant and stuff, he thinks you’re mad because we took you away from that creepy paradise land.” Kraglin tried to catch his eye, but Peter was looking everywhere but at him, so he just went on. “You said back there that he was nice and all that, and Yondu isn’t, and that’s— true, yeah. But Ego don’t care about you. Yondu does. Even though he has a screwed up way of showin’ it. He ain’t gonna shout it to the entire ship or they’ll accuse him of bein’ soft. But I love him, and he loves you, even if no one will say it out loud— including me, so keep your mouth shut about that thing I definitely didn’t just say. Anyway, what I’m sayin’ is he does care about ya and he don’t want you to be mad at ‘im or nothing. S’all.”

Peter was silent for a long time. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, hesitant, like he wanted to believe Kraglin but wasn’t sure he could. And Kraglin understood that, so he held his breath as he waited to Peter’s response.

“I thought Ego was pretty cool, but he wasn’t,” he mumbled. “And I thought Yondu would eat me or somethin’ if I bothered him, since he had to deal with rescuing. I didn’t think he cared about me except for thievin’. But you guys  _ are  _ the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real family. I told him so.”

Kraglin frowned. “You… did? When?”

Peter pointed to his call screen. “Sent him a transmission when I got back to the  _ Eclector _ . So he wouldn’t try to come after me. Some bullshit about not being ready or whatever.”

Kraglin, at a loss for words, said the only thing that came to his mind. “Watch your language, Pete.” Peter just stuck up his middle finger, and Kraglin really didn’t know what to say to that. The boy was growing up. 

“So um… thanks for rescuing me, Kraglin. I’m real glad you did.”

Kraglin almost smiled. “Yeah, well. Gotta do what’ll please the Cap’n. And if that means keeping your skinny ass around, then I’m happy to do it.” And hell, he meant it to. As much as the kid could drive him up the wall. Damn. Look at him, all soft now.

Peter beamed. “Kraglin, I can’t believe you said you love Yondu!” 

The Xandarian went purple-faced. “I said I did  _ not  _ say that You never heard that!”

“Yes you did! You love Yondu! I’m gonna tell the  _ entire  _ ship! Kraglin loves—”

Kraglin clapped a hand over Peter’s mouth. “That’s enough sentiment for today,” he grumbled, and shoved the kid off the bed and toward the door. “Go out there and do yer chores, or blow somethin’ up— whatever you normally do. Just don’t tell Yondu about this conversation or you’ll regret it.”

Peter made a face, but picked up his Walkman and headed to the door, laughing the whole time. Kraglin trailed him out and started off down the hall.

“Kraglin!” He turned around to face Peter, who did the Ravager salute with a big smile on his face and ran off the other way. He stood there, staring after him, the corners of his lips twitching upward. A hand on his shoulder from behind made him jump.

“Was that Quill?” Yondu asked. Kraglin nodded. “He seems… in good spirits.”

“Aye, Cap’n, I think he is. Back to normal, I reckon.”

“That wouldn’t have anything to do with you, would it?” Yondu held his gaze, and although Kraglin he couldn’t tell him the truth, he had a feeling Yondu could tell. 

“Course not.” A smirk crossed his face as he turned around to face Yondu, arms sneaking around his waist. Yondu looked bemused but didn’t comment on it. “It was all you. You saved ‘im.” And that was true, really. 

Yondu scoffed. “Don’ be dramatic, Kraglin.”

“No dramatics here.”

The crackle of the comm bounced off the walls, and Kraglin tensed, fearing for a moment that Peter had decided to go and spread his little secret to the whole crew after all. But instead, the familiar strum of a guitar filled the corridor, and Kraglin was so relieved he couldn’t help but laugh. Yondu, bewildered, but not complaining, pried Kraglin from him and tossed an arm over his shoulder, steering him back toward their cabin. They walked together side by side as Peter’s music echoed throughout the ship. If this was what having a family was like, Kraglin could get used to it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's that! To those of you who have been reading from the beginning, or anyone just joining us: from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. You guys have made this story possible, and your comments give me the inspiration to keep writing. This part of the story is finished, but... who knows? I may still write that alternate-plot Vol. 2 that is the direct consequence of the events in this fic. Maybe, in the future, if you guys want. Anyway though! If you've enjoyed this story, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And check out my other Kragdu-centered fic [First Times](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11112990/chapters/24801405) (which I'll be neglecting less now that this guy is done). Thank you all again!
> 
> (And yes. The song at the end is 100% Come a Little Bit Closer.)

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is so dialogue based. That's always been my strong suit. If you liked it, leave me a kudos or a comment! It's very welcome. Questions? Thoughts? Let me know. And come say hi on tumblr at [obfonteri](http://obfonteri.tumblr.com)!


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